A Most Lovely Chaos

With eighteen days until A Shine That Defies the Dark releases I’ve found myself living in chaos. Granted, most is self-made, but I looked around the other day and realized that I may have finally gotten in over my head. Following is a list of the things I’ve been juggling for the past few weeks:

Work. In a typical work week I log 50-65 hours. I know those are a lot of hours to work, but I’m lucky in that I have some flexibility. Many of those hours I do early in the mornings and late at night. The past two weeks have been exceptionally busy, so I’m at the high end of my hours.

Family. While my family was prepared for me to be distracted we do have things that keep us busy as a family. We’ve got kids basketball games, drive time (so close to having an extra driver in the family!), and planning for the holidays.

Learning to be a debut author. I wrote the book, but that’s not where my job ends. I’ve been busy learning about marketing myself and my book as well. Trust me when I say, “There is a LOT” to learn and do when promoting a book. While some is easy, there are also a number of things that are time consuming (both in figuring out how to do it and the actual getting it done). I’ve written blog posts, prepared images and banners. Much of it has been fun and worked out different creative muscles.

Preparing for the release. I’ve designed and ordered promotional items. I’ve dealt with misprinted items. I planned a launch party. I’ve signed on taking part in three different holiday or pre-release blog hop/social media events.

Exercise…okay that didn’t happen

Acquisitions & Social Media for Lakewater Press. I’ve closed to submissions for the rest of the year. I’ve read and responded to all of the submissions in my box. I’m currently working on a holiday project for our staff and authors and am most excited for that.

National Novel Writing Month. Every year this has turned out to be my most productive writing time. I wrote A Shine That Defies the Dark during NaNoWriMo. I had big plans for a sequel to Shine. I’ve had a good start, but…I’m honestly not sure that I’ll make it at this point.

Sleep

So, that’s what my weeks, and even each day, has been like for the past several weeks. Please understand, I’m not complaining. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have. And I know I’ll be able to look back on this time with fondness, gratitude, and pride–once the dizziness wears off 🙂